Facing the Big Ten

While the Buckeyes prepare to face [insert punching bag here] after the play-in game, the rest of the Big Ten tournament contingent readies themselves for actual live and breathing opponents. While no 16-seed has ever won in the history of the tournament, upsets have happened everywhere else. Which Big Ten teams face the greatest threat in the first round? Which can go ahead and leave their things on the bus and start thinking about round 2? Here are my thoughts on the rest of the Big Ten.

As the top seeded Big Ten team other than our own Buckeyes, it's unsurprising that Purdue draws an opponent most of us have probably never heard of in the Saint Peters Peacocks. I haven't seen the Peacocks play this season, but I assume that they take the court dressed like Vegas Showgirls and during hafltime strut confidently in front of the opposing team's bench in a display of dominance. Saint Peters looks like your typical Big East basketball school: small, Catholic, and based in the northeast. Of course they're not nearly as good at basketball. 

The Peacocks boast an above average defense but an anemic offense. They average only 61 points per game and their top shooter is only .373 from the field, which is likely a result of having no true big men. The most exciting part of this game will be Jujuan Johnson accidently crushing an opposing player underfoot. Otherwise, expect Purdue's stout defense to completely shut Saint Peters down throughout the game in a relatively low scoring, low tempo game.

Unlike Purdue, the NCAA selection committee did Wisconsin no favors when pitting them against the dynamic Bruins from Belmont. This game is a clash of opposites. Wisconsin is as North as North gets, being for all practical purposes a part of Canada, while Belmont was originally founded in the plantation house of a Tennessee socialite. Wisconsin runs the slowest tempo in basketball, making every possession painful for the opposition. Belmont claims an impressive offense built on a fast tempo. It's as close the the cliché "Southern Speed" vs. "Big Ten Fundamentals" as you could ever find. 

With enough bigs to challenge the glass and enough speed for the fast break, Belmont definitely brings enough firepower to take down the Badgers, and probablly stand as the 4-seed most likely to fall in the first round. That said, Wisconsin is well designed to take the wind out of a fast break offense, so look for a sloppy game full of turnovers as each team tries to disrupt the other's rythm. 

Two football schools who are quite happy it's basketball season, thank you very much. Despite vastly different fan bases and school cultures, in the world of college sports Tennessee and Michigan look like twins. Both feature new/newish football head coaches plucked from relative obscurity. Both feature basketball teams that perennial hover on the edge of relavence. Both care about the first, but couldn't care less about the second. Given the average cost of a tournament ticket, however, I suspect the well-heeled Wolverine fans should be able to avoid being overrun by mullets. 

Perhaps most importantly, both teams have had up-and-down seasons where they've flashed the ability to play the best, only to crash down to Earth shortly thereafter. Michigan came close to knocking off both (3) Syracuse and (1) Kansas during the season, taking the latter to overtime. They also gave close calls to Ohio State and Wisconsin. Their mojo only existed at home, however, and they were blasted on the road against decent opposition. Tennessee, meanwhile, secured solid victories over (1) Pitt and (8) Villanova while playing Florida tough both home and away. I'd look for Tennessee to work on the strength of their inside game against a Wolverine team that mostly focuses on shutting down the perimeter. 

This is a high-profile matchup between two of the most recognizable brands in college basketball. Illinois is known as a program which emphasizes a deliberate, shooty offense and solid defense on the perimeter. As such, they have tall, rangy kids who all can shoot. UNLV, on the other hand, is mostly known for being the Miami Hurricanes of Basketball. 

Illinois is a team that does everything better than average. UNLV is known for running. A lot. While Illinois prefers to pass the ball around trying to create open shots beyond the arc, UNLV looks to steal the ball and get to the opponents basket. However, while UNLV is athletic and great on the press, their not especially good when facing a good half-court defense and struggle with consistency when shooting the ball. When they're on, they do things like beat Wisconsin. When they're not, they do things like going 0-5 against fellow tournament qualifiers in conference. 

Here we have another game featuring even more high profile opponents. These two bluebloods offer what could be a national championship matchup on any given year. Michigan State has been to the Final Four and National Championship both in the last 3 years, while UCLA has been to the Final Four. UCLA, however, is coming off of a serious down year. Both teams had rather poor showings in historical terms, offering lackluster effort in serveral big games. For Michigan State, the season was a major dissappointment. For UCLA, it's the auspicious beginning of a comeback.

UCLA has height, and lots of it. This has allowed the Bruins to dominate the glass this season, and considering Michigan State has struggled in this area all season, I expect that to continue in this game. Unfortunately for the Bruins, when they have the ball they're not especially good at shooting it. They have one of the lowest 3P% in basketball and struggle at the foul line. While Michigan state doesn't really do anything well on offense, they don't do anything poorly either. Add to that the Spartan's typically solid defense and you're basically going to watch these two offenses have an epic cripple fight. 

While not quite as interesting as a Pitt-Temple matchup, it's a clash of West and East PA either way. Temple is an urban university smack in the middle of Philadelphia. Penn State lies in the middle of Peensyltucky, the no-mans-land between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia that features more Buggies than Bentleys. That said, Penn State likely has more fans in Philadelphia than Temple does. If nothing else, this matchup gives me an opportunity to post this clip.

Temple is another tall team that excels inside. Unlike UCLA, however, they do quite well once they get the ball. Boasting above average shooters and a stellar defense, Temple likes to maintain possesion and control the tempo. Penn State, by comparison, is almost painfully mediocre at just about everything. Temple has consistenly made it to the tournament and has a relatively successful history. Penn State generally shares the Big Ten cellar with Northwestern, and only Nebraska's impending arrival prevents them from being the league's historically consistent doormat. This is easily the most likely game for a Big Ten loss.